William stephenson



no; 624,l|7. Patented May 2, I899. w. STEPHENSON.

SEED DRILL.

(Application flletl Apr. 15, 1898.)

(No Model.)

THE Noams PETERS co, Puo'muma. WASHINGTON. a. 4;

'ilNirEn TATES ATENT rrrcn.

WILLIAM STEPHENSON, or MORRIS, CANADA.

SEED-=DRILL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 624,117, dated May 2,1899.

Application filed April 15, 1898. $erial No. 677,668. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern! Be it known that 1, WILLIAM STEPHENSON, acitizen of the Dominion of Canada, residing at Morris, in the county ofProvencher, in the Province of Manitoba, Canada, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Seed- Drills; and I do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and exact description of theconstruction and operation of the san e.

My present device relates to improvements in the class of agriculturalimplements above named, by which, first, their draw-bars may be renderedmore easy of adjustment than those as at present constructed; second, animproved device for adjusting the spring tension of the side scrapers.

Hitherto it has been found very difiicult to adjust the drill-shoegrain-spouts to the rubber feed-tubes with draw-bars of differentlengths in order to get the shoes in the desired position known asdodged, or one in rear of the other alternately, andthe first part of myinvention is of such improved construction as will conveniently enablean operator to adjust the shoes to draw-bars of different lengths in thefield or otherwise with only a simple wrench.

My device consists, first, in forming a circular-shaped projection onthe front of the grain-spout (or the equivalent thereof as a standard insome machines) about three inches in diameter with a bolt-hole in thecentre, and about 'one-third in from the outer edge of the same a circleof small corrugations or notches on both sides. Two circular castings ofthe same diameter as the projection on the grain-spout guard have theirinner sides constructed with corresponding corrugations in order to fitone on each side of the said projection on the grain-spoutguard. Theouter sides of the said circular castings have two projections or ribsbetween which to form a bed to receive the ends of the draw-bars, theseveral parts being all adjustably held together by a bolt made to passthrough each and tightened by a nut, as will be further explainedhereinafter.

My device consists, secondly, in the improved tension of the sidescrapers, by which they can be more easily and quickly adjusted,according to the conditions of the soil, to clean the disks.

Reference being made to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents aside view of disk and grain-spout in an upright position. Fig. 2 is arearview of the same. Fig. 3 is a side view of the grain-spout detachedfrom the disks. Fig. 4 is a side view of the end of one of thedraw-bars. Fig. 5 is an elevation of one of the circular castings. Fig.6 is a similar but outside view. Fig. 7 is an edge View of one of thecircular castings. Fig. 8

is an end view of the parts bolted together. A

Fig. 9 is an inside view of one of the side scrapers. Fig. 10 is aperspective view of one of the side-scraper levers. Fig. 11 is a sideand edge view of the top portion of the central scraper. Fig. 12 is anelevation of the lower central scraper. Fig. 13 is an edge view of theupper and lower parts of the double central scraper. Fig. 14 showsgrain-spout at diiferent angles in dotted lines when drawbars of variouslengths are attached thereto and the rubber tubes bending into the top.

In the drawings, A A represent the two disks, which are mounted inconverging planes, as described in my prior patents, No.588,027,datedAugust10,l8S7,and Nos.603,862 and 603,863, dated May10,1898, on the axles of the casting B and secured thereto by thenotched metal caps O.

D is the circular-shaped projection cast on the forward portion of thegrain-spoutand havinga bolt-hole 6 through its center and both of itssides having corrugations at around the same, as shown.

E, Figs. 5 and 6, represents the circular castingswhich fit on eachside, respectively, of the circular-shaped projection D.

h are the corrugations on the inside of each castingE,and ccareprojectingribs on the outside of both of said castings E E to act as abed for the reception of the ends of the two drawbars ff, the same beingsecured by means of a bolt 6 made to pass through the hole cl in each ofthe draw-bars, the hole h in each of the circular castings or washers EE, and also through the hole c of the projection D to hold the partstogether and tighten them by the nut t' on the threaded end of the saidbolt g, as shown at Fig. 8. Thus it will be seen that the corrugations bon the inner side of each of the circular castings or washers E fit thecorresponding corrugations a on both sides of the projection D of thegrain-spout B,which prevents the washers E from turning after the endsof the draw-bars f f are placed 011 the bed of each washer E after thegrain-spout is adjusted as desired and the parts tightened up by the nut71 on the bolt g. By this construction the disks can be set out of linewith each otherthat is to say, the disks of each gang can be so set asto be alternately in front of and behind a medial transverse line-andthe grain-spout of each disk can be so adjusted as to be vertical, orinclining backward or forward, so as to conveniently receive the ends ofthe rubber grain-feed tubes j (shown in dotted lines) withoutunnecessary wear or friction against the said grain'spout 13. It willfurther be observed that with the old plan of construction in order toset the grainspouts dodged would necessitate the making of a differentdraw-lug with a special angle for every length of draw-bar, while mypresent device can suit any length of draw-bar or angle to which toadjust the grain-spout B.

The side scrapers consist of two irregularshaped plates q, provided withlugs r, secured to their inside surface, as shown at Fig. 9, to each ofwhich is pivoted a lever s by the pin on, attached to each leverentering the said lugs 0 1', the said levers being provided about thecenter with a steel pin a, affixed thereto for the purpose of pivotingsaid levers to lugs 7L, cast on each side, respectively, of thegrain-spout B. Cotter-pins Z),passed through the pins (1, hold thelevers in place. The upper end of one of the levers s is bent inward,and a spiral spring t of the requisite degree of strength is slippedover the said lever end and over the right-angled point 11 of theopposite lever to press the upper ends of said levers apart, and thuscause the said side scrapers q to impinge at the desired angle on theouter side of the disks A, as shown at Figs. 1 and 2, and clean them.The tension of the said spring 25 can easily be adjusted by making thearm .5- wide enough to fill the inside of the coiled springzand providedwith two projections 1616 on the arm to pass between the coils of thesaid spring, one on each side, acting as a thread to turn the springeither on or off, the other end of the spring having the last coil madesmaller and oval-shaped to fit the end of the right lever, which isflat-pointed, so as not to allow the spring to turn from the position itis set to, according to the nature of the soil the machine is to workin. By this means the outside cutting edge of each disk is kept clear ofsoil. The inner face of each of the said disks is kept clean by means oftwo adjustable central scrapers w and w. The lower one, 20, is beveledto correspond to the slanting position of the disks, as shown at Fig. 2,and detached at Fig. 12, having a longitudinal slot as, over which awasher is placed for a screw-bo1t g to pass through and made to screwinto the lug 7; on the rear of the casting grainspout B, the upper partof the said scraper resting against the lug 3 on the said grainspoutcasting. Thus it will be seen that by means of the slot as the scraperto can be adjusted vertically to suit the angle of the two disks B B tokeep their central portion clear of mud when in operation.

The inner edges of the disks are beveled about five-eighths of an inchfrom the outer edge, and the short upper portion '10 of the scraper isbeveled from its center downward to correspond to the bevel of thedisks, as shown at Fig. 2. It has also a slotted opening at, throughwhich a capped screw 1 is made to pass to screw into the lug 2", cast onthe rear of the grain-spout casting B, a washer being placed between thescrew-head and the scraper. Thus the said upper scraper can be adjustedso that the wear of the same can be taken up to correspond to the bevelof the disks. In their normal position the top scraper 10 will overlapthe lower one, 10, about one-eighth of an inch, the result of these twocentral scrapers being to keep the inside surfaces of the disks alwaysclean as they revolve past the scrapers when in operation.

Having thus described my device and its advantages, what I claim as myinvention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of a grain-spout having circular projections withcorrugated faces on each side thereof, drill-disks upon the lower end ofthe grain-spout, draw-bars for pulling the grain-spout, and washers,each having corrugated inner faces to engage the projections on thegrain-spout and ribbed outer faces to receive the rear end of thecorresponding d raw-bar, the said grain-spout,projections thereon,washers and draw-bars having registering bolt-holes therein, and a boltpassing through the said hole to lock the parts in their adjustedposition.

2. The combination withv drill-disks and a grain-spout, of pivoted armseach of which carries a scraper for a disk on one end thereof, one ofthe said scraper-arms having its opposite end bent inwardly, andprovided with projections, a spiral spring having its one end mountedupon the said inwardly-bent end of the scraper-arm, and engaging theprojections thereon, and having its opposite end con tracted in onedirection, and a similar-shaped projection on the free end of theopposite arm, whereby the spring may be held against turning;substantially as described.

Dated at Hamilton, Ontario, this 7th day of March, 1808.

\VM. STEPHENSON.

